Seconds from Disaster
by StarSwirl05
Summary: Disasters in Ponyville as told by the US narrator in National Geographic's Seconds from Disaster. Facts and speculation create a possible chain of events with each disaster.
1. Seconds from Disaster: Sonic Rainboom

Below is formatted like an episode of National Geographic's Seconds from Disaster series.  
Before reading, please note that some bits you'll probably already know but will be stated to fit the theme of the show other bits will be added in due to how little info there is to make this episode script.

It's a sunny day in the town of Ponyville as a blue pegasus named Rainbow Dash tears through the skies. Suddenly, while performing her most daring trick called the Sonic Rainboom, the trick sends her through the air and crashing through another ponys' house ceiling. Disasters don't just happen. They're triggered by a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues and count down those final Seconds from Disaster.

Ponyville. A town where ponies come to be with friends and host special events. Every once in a while, they receive a special guest visit from famous ponies like Princess Celestia. 9:00 AM. Rainbow Dash is teaching a friend of hers named Fluttershy the right way to cheer. She's supposed to cheer as loud as she can but unfortunately, her attempts are in vain. Frustrated, Rainbow Dash takes to the skies to practice her act for the Best Young Flier competition. 9:27 AM. With the easy tasks complete, her hardest task is about to take hold. With the speed gathered, Rainbow Dash heads toward the ground but before the trick completes, she loses speed and is catapulted through the air, crashing through the ceiling of her friend Twilight Sparkle's house. Investigators are stunned. How can such an aerodynamic pony designed for high velocity fall short of a trick needing that high velocity? and that had been performed earlier with success?

There's a problem. On a normal aircraft, investigators look for clues in two places called Black Boxes. The Flight Data Recorder gathers information about the aircraft itself while the Cockpit Voice Recorder takes in the last 30 minutes of conversation from pilots before the plane crashes but because Rainbow Dash is not a plane, there's no place to put such heavy metal objects. Making matters worse, only one other bystander was watching that day, her friend Fluttershy. *Fluttershy appears on screen*

"She was moving very fast and I was in complete awe. She made the clouds spin and when she did her Sonic Rainboom, she just stopped a few inches from the ground like there was some innocent creature there she wanted to save, and then she flew through the air and disappeared."

It's a start but it offers no evidence as to what caused Rainbow Dash to crash through the ceiling of Twilight Sparkle's house. Investigators then talked to those that were inside Twilight Sparkle's house at the time Rainbow Dash crashed through. *Pinkie Pie appears on screen*

"She came right through the ceiling and piled us all into the bookcase in Twilight's house"

It looks like Investigators are at a dead end. They review the footage of the event and come up with a theory. Could the air speed at the altitude Rainbow Dash was flying in have affected her speed before she came to a hault? To be sure, they request Rainbow Dash to fly into the sky and try her trick on a windy day. While they find that Rainbow Dash does lose control, the trick is still completed properly. What else could have affected the trick? Upon reviewing the footage from both times the trick had been done, they make their first breakthrough. The 2nd time the trick was performed, Rainbow Dash had both front hooves pointed straight out. It could've allowed the balance needed to complete the trick successfully. They ask Rainbow Dash to perform the trick twice. Once with one hoof pointed straight forward and a 2nd time with both hooves pointed straight forward. When the tricks are complete, the results confirm their suspicions.

Now by rewinding the events of that faithful day, we can reveal what happened to Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom trick. 10 seconds to disaster. Rainbow Dash begins the early stages of her performance for the Best Young Flier competition. 6 seconds left. Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom trick begins but due to her not having both hooves out in front of her, she isn't able to generate a balanced speed through the entire trick and is thrown backward into the air.

After the disaster, Rainbow Dash has successfully performed the Sonic Rainboom at the compeition for the first time since her filly days. For saving the lives of Rarity and the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash has been given some time to hang out with her idols of Ponyville.


	2. Seconds from Disaster: Parasprite Peril

*****Below is a fanfiction based on the TV show Seconds from Disaster. Info mentioned here is factual mixed with speculation******  
The Everfree Forest, a home to many mysterious creatures and Ponyville's neighbor. Suddenly, Ponyville is invaded by a swarm of Parasprites that leave Ponyville in ruins. Disasters don't just happen, they're a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues and count down those final Seconds from Disaster.  
Equestria - Ponyville - The Everfree Forest (written like how the show zooms in and pans to the location of the disaster). Ponyville houses many animals including cattle, ducks, frogs and of course ponies. Next door, however is a mysterious forest called The Everfree Forest, home to a plant called Poison Joke and a zebra named Zecora, whom has remedies for common ailments. 7:30 AM. Fluttershy is busy outside picking flowers for Princess Celestia when a Parasprite appears and agrees to take it with her. 10:55 AM. As Pinkie Pie tests treats at Sugar Cube Corner, home to Mr. and Mrs. Cake the bakery ponies responsible for Ponyville's delightful treats, Fluttershy shares what she had but it's now triple what she had before. Twilight agrees to take one but Pinkie Pie, having already known what they are, heads off to gather instruments to stop them. 3:00 PM. Now Twilight Sparkle has more Parasprites than she started so Rarity and Rainbow Dash take one for themselves. 7:30 the next morning. Twilight Sparkle and her accomplice Spike awaken to dozens more Parasprites living with them, as do Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. 1:00 PM. Rainbow Dash decides to conjure up a tornado to gather all the Parasprites into one place. 1:40 PM. Rainbow Dash's tornado splits apart, releasing all the Parasprites it captured. 2:00 PM. The group decide to see Zecora, the zebra with potions and solutions to any disease they come down with. However, even she doesn't know what to do in their case and Princess Celestia is coming. 2:45 PM. Pinkie Pie advances through with an array of instruments she had gathered and the Parasprites follow.  
Now, by rewinding the events of that day, we can reveal what really happened on that day. First on the list is to find out about these Parasprites. Where did they come from and how did they cause so much destruction? *Twilight Sparkle appears*  
"It was awful. They're so adorable but have the weirdest way to reproduce. Their appetite is certainly a mystery to all of us," said Twilight.

Investigators learn that these Parasprites have an unusual property about them that allows them to eat what is normally not edible. Just inside their mouths is a special chemical called Lactothoride, which softens what they put into their mouths for normal digestion. Their bodies also give them a large appetite that allows them to take in ten times an insect their size could devour. How do these Parasprites multiply? *Rarity comes on screen*

Ugh! I can't BELIEVE I'm asked to answer this. These...things simply act as if they've got a hairball to remove and basically spit out another one of their kind," answered Rarity.

So we now know how they eat and multiply but why weren't they able to reverse the damage or at least stop the Parasprites from eating? *Applejack comes on screen*

Golly! These no-good Parasprites seem to have some kinda resistance to magic because nothin' we did got them to stop eatin'," stated Applejack.

Investigators rewatch the clips of the disaster as it unfold but are at a dead end, as nothing the clips show reveal what makes them so resistant to magic. *Zecora comes on screen*

"I'll tell you what. I was clueless on how to face them, even though we had had enough." said Zecora.

Days later, still nothing answers the Parasprites' resistance to magic but then a breakthrough. Although magic DID work on them, it wasn't enough to make them behave. This is because investigators have discovered that because of the Parasprites' small size, the streams of magic were only touching them at the sides, not engulfing them. This gave enough magic to affect them but not completely. If the Parasprites had existed, why weren't Ponyville residents better equipped to handle the situation? *Fluttershy comes on screen*

"I'd have to say that because of how adorable we thought they were, we couldn't think they were of any real danger. Plus, Zecora didn't have anything to help us either," stated Fluttershy.

With inadequate defenses against Parasprites, one question still remains. Why didn't Pinkie Pie explain what she knew about Parasprites and what the instruments were for? *Pinkie Pie comes on screen*

"I would've told them what I knew but they never asked me, which is kind of surprising since I knew more about Parasprites than they did. Then again, they really didn't pay much attention to my needs to stop the Parasprites. They were to busy fondling over what I was trying to stop," answered Pinkie Pie.

By reviewing the events of that faithful day, we can finally put together the chain of events that left Ponyille Seconds from Disaster. 1 day to disaster. Since none of the ponies knew about Parasprites, Fluttershy and most of her friends found no harm in keeping them. 2 hours to go. Pinkie Pie begins gathering instruments but because no one asked her about her knowledge of Parasprites, they aren't prepared for the impending disaster. 1 hour to disaster. The Parasprites have multiplied and because of their Lactothoride in their mouths, they devour everything in sight. 15 minutes left. Twilight's attempt to put the Parasprites under a trance fails because of the Parasprites' small size, leaving the magic spell to only affect them from the sides. Disaster strikes. Ponyville is in ruins and the Parasprites remain. After a month of repairs, Ponyville's glory is restored and the ponies have a better understanding of Parasprites. Twilight Sparkle has written a book on them, hoping that through research, the town as a whole will be better prepared in case of a second swarm invasion. With their new knowledge, they'll be much better off in dealing with this threat and won't likely take cute and cuddly for granted again.


	3. Seconds from Disaster: Coordinated Chaos

*****Below is a fanfiction based on the TV show Seconds from Disaster. Info mentioned here is factual mixed with speculation******  
The Elements of Harmony, six magic stones giving six ponies a unique property. Suddenly, all six ponies carrying these elements turn on each other and the town is thrown into turmoil. Disasters don't just happen, they're triggered by a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues and count down those final Seconds from Disaster.  
Equestria - Ponyville - Canterlot's Sculpture Garden  
Ms Cheerilee is taking her class here on a field trip. 8:15 AM. Her tour brings her group to a statue depciting a draconiquus, an entity featuring a collage of different animal parts. 8:21 AM. Three members of her class named Sweetie-Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom demonstrate the act of discord and the statue shows signs of life. 9:02 AM. Rainbow Dash, a pegasus pony, takes on her usual task of clearing clouds and encounters an unusual weather event. This event is transferred to the ground as chocolate milk. 9:45 AM. Twilight Sparkle uses her magic in an attempt to make the bizarre events vanish but fails. 10:02 AM. Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle's teacher, explains the bizarre events being related to a being named Discord, a foe she had defeated before. 10:25 AM. Discord makes himself known and shares his knowledge of the Elements of Harmony. 10:35 AM. A riddle is provided from him and Twilight Sparkle leads her friends to a maze. 10:42 AM. The group must travel through the maze and Discord finds the need to intercept them at every corner, providing 5 members of the group with their heart's desire. 11:00 AM. Canterlot is left in peril as they have broken one of the two game rules. 11:35 AM. With her friends now corrupted, Twilight Sparkle is left to fend for herself. 12:01 PM. Twilight Sparkle sees no point in holding Discord back and gives in.  
Now by rewinding the events of that day, and going deep into the investigation, we can reveal what happened at Canterlot Garden. Investigators first need to know what brought the statue to life. While the evidence hints at it, there's no clear-cut answer. *Discord comes on screen*  
"Why it's simple. I LOVE chaos and those three fillies provided just that," explained Discord.  
Having now understood what brought the statue to life, investigators turn to the next question: What caused the ponies to turn on each other? *Applejack comes on screen*  
"Discord got us to believe lies by attackin' what we fear most," said Applejack.  
Still, this doesn't explain why Discord didn't go after Twilight Sparkle too. It would've almost guaranteed his place in Canterlot. *Twilight comes on screen*  
"I don't think any of us know why he didn't come after me. Perhaps somehow he was being nice in a weird way?" answered Twilight.  
Although not under his spell, investigators need to find out the final question of why Twilight still allowed Discord to continue his reign. *Discord appears on screen*  
"That was her way of basically admitting defeat. Without her precious elements, there was nothing she could do to stop me." replied Discord.  
With all the pieces of the puzzle now known, we can reveal the chain of events that left Canterlot Garden Seconds from Disaster. 9 hours to disaster. While three filly ponies quarrel, their chaotic behavior awakens the nearby statue of a draconiquus. 6 hours and 30 minutes to go. Discord appears and wreaks havoc on Canterlot, turning all but Twilight herself into corrupted foes, using his knowledge of their elements against them. 3 hours to disaster. For whatever reason, Twilight Sparkle is left alone from Discord's spell, perhaps from her own magic being able to negate his. Disaster strikes. Twilight Sparkle is consumed by despair and gives Discord full authority to mess with Canterlot. Since the disaster, Pinkie Pie has taken up babysitting. Fluttershy has opted for lessons on becoming more assertive. Rainbow Dash began training for a future competition. Twilight took on the daunting task of retraining Princess Luna, Princess Celestia's sister, to be more casual in conversations. Rarity stayed to hang out with other Canterlot ponies. Applejack moved away to work in Cherry Jubilee's cherry factory and take on the Equestria Rodeo Competition. While not together, their friendship will never be broken.


	4. Seconds from Disaster: Wrecked Wedding

****Below is a fanfiction based off of National Geographic's Seconds from Disaster TV series. It contains facts mixed with speculation. *******

Canterlot. A place of royalty and home to ponies of wealth and higher class. Suddenly, as a wedding ceremony proceeds, a new being emerges and takes down Princess Celestia, spreading chaos throughout town. Disasters don't just happen. They're triggered by a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues and count down those final Seconds from Disaster.

Equestria. - Canterlot - The Royal Wedding. The royal wedding is a happy time for married couples to live happily together. In Canterlot, this is to be true with Twilight Sparkle's brother, Shining Armor and Princess Celestia's niece, Princess Cadence. 12:30 PM. Twilight Sparkle receives two letters regarding their duties for the wedding. They hop on board the Friendship Express to reach Canterlot and arrive to find strict security measures in place. 1:10 PM. Once in Canterlot, Twilight shares her anger towards her brother for his failure to mention the wedding. 1:25 PM. Princess Cadence arrives, paying attention only to Shining Armor. 2:00 PM. Twilight Sparkle peers into a door as Princess Cadence and Shining Armor chat. She sees Shining Armor getting a spell poured on him and is convinced Cadence is evil. 3:21 PM. Practice for the wedding takes place and Twilight makes a statement and Cadence darts off upset. 3:36 PM. Cadence returns and sends Twilight Sparkle down below to a cave. 3:55 PM. Down below, Twilight Sparkle unleashes her anger on Cadence, whom has indeed gone evil, and finally breaks open the wall containing the good Cadence. 4:15 PM. The actual wedding ceremony has begun but is stopped when Twilight Sparkle and good Cadence arrive. 4:22 PM. Evil Cadence reveals herself as a changeling and orders some of her army to attack Canterlot's overhead defenses. 4:40 PM. Celestia wages a battle against this new being but loses.

Now, by rewinding the events of that day, and going deep into the investigation, we can reveal what went wrong at The Royal Wedding. The first question on investigators' minds is why didn't anyone notice the arrival of this being and her army? *Shining Armor comes on screen*

"We were all so focused on the wedding preparations that I guess we didn't keep watch outside," said Shining Armor.

What about this being? Who is she and where did she and her army come from? *Princess Celestia comes on screen*

"We don't know for sure but I believe she was from Tautarus and have no knowledge of her name since she never gave it herself, though rumors have stated her name is Queen Chrysalis," stated Celestia.

With the origin of Queen Chrysalis in place, the next task is to figure out where her power came from. *Princess Cadence come son screen*

"She was gaining power from my love with Shining Armor," answered Cadence.

Even so, why wasn't Princess Celestia able to stop her when she has defeated past foes with ease? None of the footage investigators view is able to answer that question. *Twilight Sparkle comes on screen*

"It's possible that Queen Chrysalis' magic is more current than Celestia's and therefore Celestia's magic isn't able to hold back as much as it did before," figured Twilight.

It's the final piece of the puzzle. Investigators can now reveal what went wrong during The Royal Wedding. 6 hours to disaster. With everyone inside, no one sees the impending arrival of Queen Chrysalis. 3 hours to go. Since no one realizes Queen Chrysalis is disguised as Princess Cadence, Chrysalis, willingly sends Twilight Sparkle below ground. 1 hour to disaster. Twilight Sparkle arrives above ground but since Princess Celestia's magic is older, it isn't able to hold back Queen Chrysalis' more recent powers and loses.

After the disaster, the ponies have since thrown out Queen Chrysalis and her army while having a perfect wedding finish. They are all now better aware of any threats that may come from the outside and will be on the lookout with better security to prevent any future intrusions.


End file.
